Munger to be class of 2019 speaker

Shelby Wilt
NLJ Reporter
 
“Working around people who had no education inspired me to become a teacher,” said this year’s Newcastle High School commencement speaker. But Robert Munger will tell you that he didn’t always have a yen for teaching.
Born in Nebraska in 1968, Munger moved to Wheatland at the age 8. After graduating from high school in 1986, he took a year off. Munger moved to Texas, he said, to get away from small towns. He worked road construction for a year before deciding to return to Wyoming to pursue a career as a teacher. 
In 1991, Munger earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Wyoming. He was hired to teach grades 5-8 at Kitty Moats in Osage. According to Munger, he taught every subject except band and choir. 
In August of 2000, Munger took his teaching credentials 15 miles east to Newcastle, where he would teach eighth-grade U.S. government and sixth-grade world cultures. He also heads up an eighth-grade courtroom simulation class. This year will be Munger’s 28th year of teaching. 
But Munger does not spend all his time in a classroom. He has also been a volunteer firefighter for more than 27 years. Currently the chief of the Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department, Munger said that he has been busy trying to learn his duties as chief.
From years of teaching young adults as sixth- and eighth-graders to having more interactions with them as a middle school coach, Munger is well known to the students at Newcastle High School. So when he was asked by the class of 2019 to be their commencement speaker, Munger was honored. 
“I was approached by Dylan Talley, and he has asked me to be the speaker for this graduation class. I then got an email from the class sponsor asking if I would officially be the speaker,” Munger said. “It means a lot to a teacher to be asked to take on such a role. You see these kids grow up. They practically become yours, and it is exciting to see where they will go after high school and who they will become. After they leave high school, you never know where they will go and how they are going to live the rest of their lives.” 
Munger said he became a teacher to try to be a positive influence for youngsters.
“We go into education to influence the lives of young adults,” he said. “So to be asked to be the speaker for the 2019 graduation class is truly an honor. I want to tell the graduation class to always be open to exploring different avenues of jobs. I want to explain to them that every job has its ups and its downs and that it is harder to get out of bed when you’re unhappy about the job you have.” 
With a 28-year career that he loves to draw on, Robert Munger will be speaking to them from experience.